The present invention generally relates to a bed extension assembly for a vehicle, and more particularly to a bed extension assembly including a split-type tailgate openable in a center thereof disposed along a rearward side of a bed floor and a bed extender movable between a stowed position and an extended position for providing increased floor area.
Storage capacity in pick-up vehicles, particularly storage capacity in the beds of such vehicles, is a concern that has been addressed many times over. The need for sufficient storage space in the bed has become even more critical with the introduction of sport utility truck (SUT) vehicles, which often include an open-ended load carrying bed that is something less than full size.
One attempted solution for increasing the storage capacity of a pick-up truck's load carrying bed is to provide an accessory part that can be a cage-type structure that locks into place when the bed's tailgate is down to create an auxiliary storage area. The tailgate then becomes the floor of the auxiliary storage space and the accessory cage forms side and rear walls of the auxiliary storage space.
This solution is less than optimal because the bed can only be extended a dimension equal to that of the height of the tailgate. Moreover, the accessory part must then be hauled around as an extra part and, in cage form, the accessory part may not sufficiently contain smaller items capable of slipping between bars forming spaces within the caged accessory. Still further, in a conventional cage accessory mounted upon a tailgate, most if not all of the strength of the extended floor must be supported by the tailgate (i.e., the cage accessory provides no support).